40th Anniversary

There are moments in life that we think, "Wow! I never thought this day would come!" Experiencing our 40th anniversary is definitely one of those days for us. (I am wishing right now that I had the gift of writing that my dear friend Lori Wagner has so that I could tell you what is in my heart.)
Lessons learned while living with one person for this amount of time cannot be casually written down. I know Lloyd Sherman Price so much better than when I sat by him outside the sealing room in the temple all those years ago. I believed then I was marrying a good man, one who was willing to serve the Lord and to work hard. Now, I know that I married such a man. Lloyd is not a complicated person. He is what you see; a happy person, one who likes work, and one who gets truly excited about just about everything. He is my joy.
There are many lessons in life to learn and being married provides one with a companion to meet those challenges and experiences. There are times that life is very difficult and I am so grateful that as I have faces those moments (or hours) of abyss, Lloyd's hand has always been there holding on to mine. At times when I have been lying in a hospital bed, feeling miserable, I would listen to the footsteps outside the door and could always recognize my man's step rushing to my bedside. I even just love the way he says my name.
What kind of advice would I give to those traveling the path of matrimony? I am not sure. Sometimes it is just taking one step at a time and hoping things will get better. It takes a whole lot of forgiveness on both sides. It means being realistic about the fact that the trip was never as exciting as we had planned; that the meal rarely is perfect; and that we can never turn back the clock on our bodies. My advice is to look for the good in each other; to pray together, and to hold fast to the Iron Rod. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the glue that holds Lloyd and I together. Come what may, with it to adhere us together, life is good and the best is yet to come.